The Wealth-Health Connection – how does it affect you?

Being interested in money with my background as a doctor, I thought it was about time that I wrote something about the importance of the wealth-health connection…..

….I strongly believe that money and health are intimately interconnected, and this is what I wanted to discuss today.

Food quality (and quantity), the way we exercise, relax and live our lives all impact on our health. Many of these are dependent on access to a decent disposable income. Money isn’t everything, but when we rely on it to provide us with the basics, we need to think about the impact it has on our health.

Food

If money were no object, would you shop where you do now? Maybe yes, but would you buy what you do now? I would love to have fresh ingredients delivered to my door, perhaps organic, and shop in my local farm shops. I could have the best and finest ingredients if I wanted to.

If you’ve ever looked at supermarket offers, you’ll notice that a lot of it is on convenience food, pre-packaged, high in salt and high in sugar. Very rarely will you have offers on good cuts of meat or vegetables.

Kelly from Reduced Grub has noticed this too, and did a challenge earlier this year to see if she could feed her family healthily for less than £30 per week. You can see how she did and maybe pick up some tips of your own!

Jenny from Mummy Saver, Money Maker agrees – “Back when I was a single mum I was eating cheap crap food and not much fresh veg etc because I hardly had any money. My pancreas ended up getting over stimulated and became inflamed and I had to take some tablets and not eat fat for 6 weeks until I had a check up!”

Food quality is the first thing that springs to my mind about how money and health are intertwined – the ability to make healthier choices at the check-out is a big one that affects us all!

Exercise

Many of us aspire to go to the gym, but what if you could also stretch to a personal trainer? Maybe even a yoga instructor who comes to your house? Would this motivate you more or make you feel more relaxed? You could have a gym built into a room in your house or back garden. Having more money definitely helps. Even some of the cheapest gym memberships could be out of reach for some people. The good thing is that the internet is full of free resources you can use to exercise with so do a thorough search.

Supplements

Do you take vitamins? Can you afford to buy vitamins? If you wanted to, you could find a pill in Holland and Barrett (or even the internet for that matter) that addresses all manner of ailments. High blood pressure, cholesterol, memory loss, even depression. Some great, and well, some not so great. But having a higher disposable income allows you the choice to take whatever you deem necessary. It is well documented that healthy pregnancies need decent vitamin intakes, especially of folic acid to prevent spina bifida in earlier foetuses. There is increasing evidence to support the use of vitamin D in pregnancy now.

Again sadly, this is not something everyone can necessarily access when they struggle to make ends meet. Thankfully in the UK, the NHS is providing a lot of these supplements in pregnancy for free, but often the best results are when they are taken at least 3 months BEFORE the pregnancy has even started and for at least 3 months into the pregnancy…and with 1 in 6 pregnancies being unplanned in the UK, this is not a easy task!

Obesity and Poverty

Obesity is now very much linked to low socio-economic status. Not only is there an issue with lack of resources to fund a healthier lifestyle, but low educational attainment leads to a poorer understanding of how food and lifestyle impacts health. With supermarkets offering discounts on rubbish food, it’s no wonder!

In fact, an OECD study in 2006 showed “a negative, non-linear relationship between education and obesity such that more education is associated with less obesity.” Obviously this a sweeping generalisation, but this is what the identified trends suggest.

It’s true; “failure to thrive” due to poor nutrition actually has an impact on a child’s developing brain and how it functions. Lack of food at school leads to distracted, unruly children! It even affects unborn foetuses – this evidence suggests that poor nutrition leads to poor health in later life, known as”nutritional-programming” in utero.

Food costs money. And there we are again with the ‘m’ word. It doesn’t matter how we look at it, Money is the lynch-pin.

Mental health

Worries about money can lead to serious cases of anxiety and depression. I know that when I was stressed about my finances, I had trouble sleeping. I was often tearful and would notice palpitations at the thought of opening letters or visiting the bank!

My situation was not as awful as some. Luckily for me, my job means I can earn more money usually whenever I need to, and can get myself out of tough situations, but I know others are not as fortunate as this.

I still get feelings of anxiety regarding money at times, but it has improved hugely!! Knowing that I’m in control of my money is a great feeling, and one which makes me excited, not scared. Eileen of Your Money Sorted agrees in this post about how money and happiness are intertwined.

Real Life

I often see patients come through A&E with money worries on their mind, especially those facing long term issues with their health, such as managing cancer for example.

The young, or those who work for themselves are particularly vulnerable.The former because they don’t tend to have savings, the latter because they don’t get paid if they don’t go to work. Sometimes they’re one and the same person.

Living on a financial knife-edge is one of the quickest ways to end in disaster.

Conclusion

So you can see, money touches everything and everyone, and it doesn’t matter who you are. Unless you’re roaming free somewhere in the jungle, you’re likely to need cash for the roof over your head, the food on your table, and the clothes on your back. The wealth-health connection is undeniable.

What unhealthy ways have you behaved due to not having enough money? Poor sleep, poor eating habits, weight gain? What have you vowed to do better in 2018?? Let us know in the comments!

I also have a private Facebook group – why not come and join me in there and keep the money conversation going!

Until next time,

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I'm Dr Nikki Ramskill - The Female Money Doctor. I'm based in the UK and want to talk about all things money with you! Become a "Money-Medic" and I'll send you a weekly money-prescription of more tips and advice....

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3 thoughts on “The Wealth-Health Connection – how does it affect you?”

A very good article, and all very true. It’s even more of a stark reality in countries that don’t have publicly funded health care – just thinking about doctors’ bills is enough to keep those in poverty and in need of medical help away from the care they need, making their situations far worse.

I absolutely agree Lee! I think with wealth comes responsibility, so the more of us out there to educate, Fund and drive initiatives to tackle issues like this the better! Thank you so much for ready and for your comments! Nikki x

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